An Astana resident has been punished after scamming 17 pilgrims from across Kazakhstan with a fake Hajj and Umrah travel scheme.

The man fraudulently collected more than 7.4 million tenge (about $15,800) by offering non-existent airline tickets and hotel bookings for religious pilgrimages, The Caspian Post reports via the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Among the victims were families willing to send elderly parents on Umrah. The defendant admitted guilt in large-scale fraud and fully compensated those affected.

He was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom under probation supervision. Prosecutors in Astana urged citizens to use only licensed travel agencies when arranging pilgrimage services.